Forsaken
by CloudVixen
Summary: Spright is just a girl with an unusual name who meets some very unusual friends... Who usually try to kill her. When she stumbles into Camp Halfblood she discovers that she is not only a demigod, but the daughter of the eternal maiden Artemis. Her very life should not be, and that is what the gods demand.


A/N This is my first shot at a Percy Jackson fanfic. I apologize for any mistakes – I haven't read the books in forever. I am trying to focus on adding some humour to my story since I struggle with that more than anything. This is also my first attempt at writing in the present tense. Any criticism and comments will be very much appreciated! I wrote this story after the whole battle to save Mount Olympus thing, excluding the Roman demigods. Please R & R & enjoy!

Take my word for it: when a nymph charges at you, you don't want to run away. Nymphs will catch you and it will hurt. Badly.

My name is Spright. No, I am not a soft drink, I am an actual person. I was called Spright as some sick joke of the universe. After all, sprites and nymphs are the same things. Well, kind of. The only thing that matters is that they are malevolent little demons and I landed smack in the middle of them.

Though I am in danger of sounding like the responsible adult I most certainly am not I have to tell you that I got caught up in this creepy world of monsters because I skipped school. What is the moral of the story? Don't skip school in the non-enchanted forest. Pick a mall or a dark alley instead. Actually, a drug deal gone wrong would be a good choice as well.

But I digress; I am now hiding in none other than an underwater cave. When I say I landed in the middle of them, I mean it literally. I had tripped and come tumbling down a waterfall into the deep pool of water nymphs beneath. They must have been enjoying lunch or something because they were not happy. Before I knew it a bunch of blue water-people were screeching and trying to claw my eyes out.

Luckily I am not a horrible swimmer. I got a few good kicks in and didn't go anaemic so I am counting that as a bonus. After I had swallowed a bit of nymph spit and bled out most of my blood I finally managed to escape into the cave. Inside it's all dark and damp, but I'm out of the water and the nymphs can't seem to follow me in.

Now there is just this one little problem: getting out. My matches are soggy so I'm squinting into the dark, trying not to gag because of the seriously mouldy cave scent. I mean I've smelled a one-eyed-man's feet and it smelled better than this.

Feeling around is not really something I would like to try. I stroke the walls lightly, only to pull away and dance madly to get the cave slime from my hands. I peer around desperately. Is it just my imagination or can I see a little better now? The thought makes me uneasy. I don't like the thought of light entering completely dark cave for absolutely no good reason. Too many unexplainable things tend to happen around me. I've never tried figuring out why – thinking hard gives me headaches.

I can make out the faint outline of something long and probably slimy. I hope it's not a snake or a severed limb. Anything is possible.

I nudge it softly with my big toe. It's a branch. I try not to think about how a branch had ended up here. It is still better than a severed limb.

I pick it up gingerly between two fingers. Using the branch I poke around until I find a gap in the wall. I'm fairly sure it is a way out – don't ask me why. Impulse is a fearless compulsion.

I make my way into the tunnel, figuring that it's a bit safer than chancing the nymphs again. They are not very friendly hosts. None of that "southern hospitality" crap.

The tunnel is scarily narrow. Once or twice I feel the slimy walls closing in on my shoulders. It takes a couple of deep breaths to keep going. I have a hard time reminding myself that this is no scarier than the time my foster mother had changed into a bat/human hybrid. I think they're called harpies… or was it furies? Whatever the case, she had no idea what good parenting is. I swear she thought her claws would make a good snack for me. Some people should just not be parents.

I hardly notice when the tunnel starts getting lighter. I am dizzy and out of breath- I should take up palates again. I stumble into dazzling sunlight. The piercing light makes my eyeballs feel as though they are on fire. Note to self: wait for eyes to adjust when leaving dark caves.

When my eyes can finally stay open again I glance around my surroundings. Great, I'm back in nymph-forest. I can't really remember where the city was. Is it just me or does this forest look slightly different?

It's greener and the undergrowth is thicker. I can't really remember where the city is. I can't have travelled that far on my journey here, can I?

I close my eyes and listen. Somewhere to my right I can hear yelling. I start off in that direction, concentrating on keeping my clumsy feet moving. As I get closer the sounds become more pronounced. There's a clang of metal on rock, shouts from several people, and a low snarling sound. The creature's growl is very distinct. There is only one animal that makes a sound like that: lion.

I creep through the trees, nearly tripping over myself when I finally make out what is happening. In front of me is a really, really big lion. I mean, this thing could keep lions as pets if it wants to.

I see four people running around with swords. The fifth has a bow. All of them seem to be around my age. They are a little young to be a hunting party. One of the people fighting the lion is a tall, dark-headed guy with impossibly blue eyes. Something about him makes me think of the water nymphs again. He moves a bit like running water. The archer shoots an arrow at the rampaging lion. I watch as it bounces harmlessly off the golden pelt.

Bulletproof lions are officially the coolest things ever.

A blondish girl shouts something in what I assume to be Greek before she charges at the lion. In the brief second before she reaches the lion I know what will happen. As the lion lifts a giant claw I lunge forward. They are too far away – I won't make it in time. I veer off to the archer as the lion's growl reaches deafening volume.

I have less than a heartbeat to pry the bow from his hands and set the arrow in the notch. The claw crashes into the floor beside the girl as moments after my arrow lodges itself in the lion's eye. It shrieks and prepares to charge at me. I barely notice the twitch of my lips.

The dagger by the archer's side is in my hands in a blink. I dart towards the lion. It may have cat-like reflexes but a body that big is bound to be slow. It underestimates how quickly I can reach it, slashing the air just behind me. I twirl and grab a hold of its claw, using the soft fur to pull myself up. It growls and jerks back the claw, bringing me close enough to launch onto its back. I draw back my arm and stab the dagger into the vulnerable spot on its neck. The creature shrieks and disintegrates, leaving me standing on its golden fur. I cough and stumble away from the bits of ash left behind.

"Whoa, am I hallucinating?"

Five sets of eyes are watching me with disbelief. I involuntarily back away, turning on my most charming smile. I really hope these aren't savages who's lunch I just made burst into flames.

"It's well done," I joke nervously. The utter lack of reaction doesn't help my nerves much. After a moment the girl I saved steps forward.

"Are you a demigod?" she asks. The question confuses me.

"What's a demigod?" I laugh. They glance at one another, then they look to a spot above me and start gasping. I look up to see a shiny crescent moon hanging above my head. I try to duck away and it fades.

"I'm definitely tripping," I mutter, rubbing my head. The nymph-boy glances around before speaking.

"You should come with us."

We are standing I some kind of summer camp. The kids around us all wear t-shirts that say "Camp Halfblood." I'm not sure what a halfblood is, but they sound scary.

The blonde girl introduced herself as Annabeth. She calls nymph-boy "Percy." The other kids splintered off the second we reached camp. I'm just glad that someone might know how I could get back to school.

I think that Annabeth and nymph-boy is a couple. They keep touching and glancing at one another. They make me feel kind of awkward, so I try to make conversation.

"So that lion was pretty big, huh? I thought it would eat me for sure."

The couple glanced anxiously to each other.

"That is a nemean lion. Do you know what that means?" Annabeth asks hesitantly. I consider telling her that it sounds like a yummy dish, but she is looking at me all serious.

"It's inbred?" I guess, not knowing what she expects of me. Percy's lip twitches into a slight smile.

"Something like that," he says in a teasing tone, leading us to a big house. Annabeth rolls her eyes but stays quiet. When I realize that there is a goat-man standing on the porch I have a very intelligent reaction: I laugh.

"Are you having a Halloween party?" I snort, not wanting to rudely laugh in his face. Annabeth lets out a nervous chuckle and ushers me inside. I notice that she doesn't reply.

"Chiron we have a…" Percy glances at me. "A slight problem."

Chiron, or whoever, calls back from somewhere inside. We follow the sound to where an old man in the wheelchair is drinking coffee and reading something in Greek.

He glances up, studying me with raised eyebrows.

"Yes?" he asks, shifting his dark gaze towards Percy. Something about his eyes makes me feel as though he is much older than he looks.

Percy and Annabeth fill him in on what happened with the lion. I don't really get why he seems so intense. While he listens I study him. He is definitely older than he looks. When they tell him about the moon his gaze darkens.

"Are you sure it was a moon?"

"Of course. Something like that only happens once in a blue moon, we couldn't miss it," I joke. The three of them shoot me blank stares. After a moment they chuckle softly. I like seeing Chiron smile – it makes him look less severe.

The laughter fades quickly, though.

"Does the moon mean something?" I ask. Chiron looks grave again, and the couple avoids my gaze.

"Do you know Greek mythology?" the old man asks.  
"I know this and that…" I dodge the question. In truth I only know that nymphs are spirits of the elements and that a lot of the mythological creatures are half man and half beastie.

"Do you know who Artemis is?" I cock my head to the side. The name does sound familiar.

"Isn't she the goddess of animals or something? She has a twin."

"Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and moon. Her twin brother is Apollo, god of oracles and the sun. Artemis is an eternal maiden," Chiron utters. He looks at me as though that should explain everything.

"I'm not Artemis," I state. Chiron smiles faintly, he looks immensely sad.

"No, but I fear you may be her daughter."

A/N Well, this chapter is really just meant to explain where Spright comes from. The actual plot will pop up later. I thank you for reading and hope that I will get a couple of reviews


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